tax cuts, and sort of dare the republican party not to vote for, you know, a new round of obama tax cuts. politically the president holds those but it's more important than that. the american people, after looking at options presented to them reclearly with a return of president obama to the white house, or initiating mitt romney presidency, chose a return of president obama to the white house and therefore gave him a very clear mandate to hold the line on the question of entitlements there when it comes to talking about entitlements, or earned benefits as progressives like to refer to it, what is the way that the president and those on the left can look and also appear to the right to be willing to compromise? what can they put on the table, if anything? >> well, i just don't think that any of us think that it is a reasonable idea to over the course of the next week and a half, over the course of the holiday season, for the president and this congress, which is a lame duck congress, to engage in major entitlement reforms of programs that have helped to lift millions of americans ou